As part of a celebration of Global Astronomy Month, the MHAA will be doing an outdoor program at Vassar Farm Preserve for Global Astronomy Night. Saturn, Mars, and the Moon will all be showing off that night. Come out and join us.
14 brave souls ventured out for the Feb Star Party to give first light to our new dark sky location. While the weather forecast wasn't glowing, it looked like we'd have windows of clear, and Saturday night was guarunteed to be cloudy. So we went.
Come out and join us for the annual members dinner at Shadows on the Hudson, in Poughkeepsie, NY.
The dinner is open to members and family so bring your spouse, significant other, etc. If you're interested in coming, please RSVP by emailing publicity@midhudsonastro.org (make sure to mention how many will be coming).
2012 brings us a new era at the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association. After many years using Wilcox Park as our primary location for monthly star parties, we've decided to try a new venue, Lake Taghkanic State Park.
Update: event is postponed to Jan 28th due to weather.
The 2012 event is scheduled for Saturday, January 21th, primary, or Saturday, January 28th backup. Members are encouraged to bring guests, that's the social part. It is always a fun event and a great opportunity to ogle the latest gadgets, acquire those vital accessories you just have to have, see each other in the daylight, and a good excuse to get out of the house in the middle of winter.
SUNY NP is screening the award winning documentary, "The City Dark" on Wed. Nov. 30th at 7:30PM at the campus Lecture Center 102. This compelling film highlights the problem of encroaching light pollution and the gradually disappearing night sky. "Astronomers, cancer researchers, ecologists and philosophers provide glimpses of what is lost in the glare of city lights."
For the second year running, MHAA held an observe the moon night at Vassar Farms as part of their "Exploring a Sense of Space" series of events. We had about 10 MHAA volunteers show up this year, and somewhere between 80 - 100 guests over the course of the night.
The Moon: we've sent men to it; we've written poems about it; we have a vast mythology around it. But have you ever looked at it close up? Mystic mountains, craters, and "seas" await you at the MHAA's second annual Observe the Moon Night at Vassar Farms.
Join the members of the Rockland County Star Trek Fan Club, known as the USS Abraham Lincoln for an afternoon and evening of astronomy. Dr. Willie Yee, Vice-President of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association, will present a talk on getting started in astronomy on a budget. Dr. Stephen Larson will present a talk on the Mythology of the Stars and Constellations. After a dinner break, there will be an opportunity to view the heavens through various astronomical telescopes, along with a tour of the night sky.
As a follow up to our fall Observe the moon event we'll be doing a spring event at Vassar Farm. Saturn will be its biggest and brightest at that point. We'll also be looking at the Orion nebula, star clusters, and galaxies.
As part of a celebration of Global Astronomy Month, the MHAA will be doing an outdoor program at Vassar Farm Preserve for Global Astronomy Night. Saturn, Mars, and the Moon will all be showing off that night. Come out and join us.